Telephone-lock.



PATENTED SEPT. 15, 1903.

w. H. SCOTT. TELEPHONE LOCK. APPLICATION FILED B12111, 6, 1902.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

l0 IODEL.

No. 739,114. A I'PATENTED SEPT. 15, 19703.. W. H. soon.

TELEPHONE LOCK.

' APPLICATION rum) SEPT- 6.1902.

IO-KODEL.

To all whom, it mag concern:

V UNITED STATES Patented September 15, 1903.

PATENT- OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. SCOTT, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO THE CONTROLLERCOMPANY OF AMERICA, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF MISSOURI.

TELEPH ONE-LOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 739,114, dated September15, 1903.

' Application filed September 6, 1902. Serial No. 122.392. (No model.)

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM H. Scorr, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city of St. Louis, State'of Missouri, have invented acertain new and useful Improvement in Telephone-Locks, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part ofthis specification, in which Figure l is a sectional plan view. Fig. 2is a side elevation, partly in section, the door or end of the casingbeing removed. Fig. 3 is a front elevation. Fig. 4 is a detail View,partly in section, on the line 44 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a side elevationshowing a-modified construction. Fig. 6 is an elevation, partly insection, at right angles to the view shown in Fig. 5; and Fig. 7 is arear elevation.

My invention relates to improvements in telephone-locks.

My primary object is to provide a construction by means of which thereceiver is locked upon the receiver suspension-hook although the saidsuspension-hook may be left free to operate.

A further object is to provide means whereby the locking mechanism canbe released by an authorized person without the necessity of depositinga coin or token; and a still further object is to provide an improvedand convenient means for mounting the mechanism upon a support.

To these ends and also to improve generally upon devices of thecharacter indicated my invention consists in the various mattershereinafter described and claimed.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, 1 indicates atelephone-box of any usual or preferred construction, and 2 the receiversuspension-hookextendi'ng from the same, the receiver being indicated as3. A box or casing 4, suitably supported at the side of thetelephone-box, as bybeing connected to a wall or other support 5,contains the hereinafter-mentioned locking mechanism and is providedwith a coin slot or raceway 6.

The locking mechanism (illustrated in Figs.

1,2,3,and 4) is particularly adapted for use in connection withtelephones having a receiver of the well-known type usually found uponBell telephones,such receiver being supported in the bifurcated end ofthe suspension-hook,

and this form of mechanism will be first described in thisspecification. The casing is provided in its front wall with ahorizontal slot '7, and pivotally supported to rotate through said slotis a spider-plate 8, havingv arms 9, these arms successively projectingbeyond the casing as the plate is rotated and being spaced from eachother a sufficient distance to permit the telephon e-receiver 3 to liebetween any adjacent arms. Pivotally supported within the casing is alocking-lever 10, which has a coin-receiving arm 11, projecting upon oneside of the pivot and extending under the raceway 6, and has also alocking-arm 12, which when the parts are in normal position liesslightly above the plane in which the arms of the spider-plate rotate. Afinger or projection 13 depends from the free end of the locking-arm 12,and when the said arm is in normal lockin g position said finger lies inthe path of travel of and slightly in advance of one of the arms 9 ofthe spider plate or receiver locking element. The casing 4 is sopositioned with relation to the usual telephonebox that when thereceiver is supported in the fork of the suspension-hook 2 one of thearms although the hook itself isleft perfectly free to vibrate. In thismanner, as the movement of thesuspension-hook is in no wise limited bythe present mechanism, after the receiver is removed the user of themechanism canvibrate the hook at will in order to attract centralsattention. The locking-lever is also provided with a stop-arm 14:, whichextends under the locked arm 9 of the spiderplate and is adapted toengage said arm when the locking-arm of the lever is thrown upwardly,and to thus limit the initial movement of the locking-lever, so thatsaid lever will not initially be thrown into such a position that thecoin is deposited from the coin-receiving arm 11.. The parts being inthe positions illustrated in Fig. 1 and by full lines in Fig. 2, thereceiver is locked upon the suspension-hook, and the telephone cannot,of course, be used. hen a coin is deposited in the raceway 6, it fallsupon the coin-receiving arm 11 of the locking-lever and elevates thelocking-arm 12 of said lever to carry the projection or finger 13 aboveand out of the path of travel of the arm 9 of the spider-plate, whichhas been locked, this movement of the lookinglever being checked whenthe stop-arm 14 engages the arm 9. The parts remain in this positionwith the coin supported upon the coin-receiving arm 11 until thereceiver is removed from the suspensiomhook. As the receiver is pulledoutwardly to release the same from the hook the arm 0 of thespider-plate in advance of the receiver is forced to move, and the armof said plate with which the stoparm 14 has been in engagement iscarried beyond the said stoparm, and the locking-lever is left free tobe fully moved by the coin, so that the coin is deposited from thecoin-receiving arm in a manner which will at once be apparent, thelocking-lever returning to normal position as soon as the coin hasdropped from the said arm 11. When the user has finished with thetelephone, the receiver is placed upon the hook in the usual manner, andas it is being placed upon the arms 2 of said hook it engages one of thearms 9 of the spider-plate and rotates said plate until one of its armshas been brought into locking position with relation to thelocking-lever, the outer free end of said locking-lever being beveled,as shown at 15, in order to permit unrestricted backward rotation of thesaid spider-plate. The arms of the spider-plate are so related to eachother and to the receiver suspension-hook that in any position of theplate one of said arms is always in position to be struck by thereceiver as the same is being hung upon the hook. Thus, even if the userof the telephone should accidentally engage the spider-plate and rotatethe same, the plate is at all times in such position that the receivercan be placed upon thehook and locked in position.

The present apparatus includes mechanism whereby the locking-lever canbe operated by an authorized person to release the receiverlockingmember without depositing a coin or token. An electromagnet 16 issuitably supported in the box or casing 4, and its armature 17 is formedby or attached to one arm of a releasing-lever 18, the other arm of saidlever extending under the stop-arm 14 of the locking-lever. Asupporting-arm 19 is pivotally mounted in the casing and is providedwith a substantially horizontal portion 20, whose end is beveled on itsunder side, as shown at 21, and extends over the lockingarm 12 of thelocking-lever, said supportingarm 19 also having a substantiallyvertical portion 22, which lies in the path of travel of the curved ends23 of the locking-arms 9. The magnet is connected to a battery in anysuitable manner, and the circuitfrom said battery includes a push-buttonor other switch which can be located at any convenient pointas, forexample, under the counter of the store in which the telephone isplaced.

If the proprietor desires to use the telephone, it is only necessary forhim to press the pushbutton or otherwise complete the circuit throughthe magnet and the releasing-lever will then be rocked in a manner whichwill be apparent, one arm of said lever during this rocking movementengaging the stop-arm 14 of the locking-lever and raising the lockingarm12 of said lever above the horizontal portion 20 of the supporting-arm19, the said supporting-arm rocking backwardly as the locking-arm 12engages the beveled face 21 in order to permit the passage of saidlockingarm. As soon as the locking-arm 12 has been raised above thesupporting-arm 19 this supporting-arm falls into normal position, andwhen the current through the magnet 16 is broken and the lever 18 fallsthe locking-lever is supported in inoperative position upon thesupporting-arm 19. The spider-plate is thus free to be rotated to permitthe withdrawal of the receiver from the suspensionhook; but as thereceiver is withdrawn from the suspension-hook the arm 9 of thespiderplate which has been locked by the lockinglever strikes theportion 22 of the supportingarm and throws said arm backwardly to removethe support from the locking-lever, whereupon the locking-lever fallsinto normal position, ready to lock the spider-plate as soon as thereceiver is replaced upon the suspension-hook.

Some telephones are provided with receivers of the type illustrated inFigs. 5 and 6 i. e., the receiver suspension-hook is not forked, butterminates merely in a finger 24, and the receiver is provided with aneye 25 adapted to receive said finger 24. My present locking mechanismcan be well modified to cooperate with receivers of this type, thesalient features of the apparatus being merely a fork adapted to receivethe receiver or some portion of the same and some means for locking thisfork, one arm of the fork serving to prevent separation of the receiverfrom the suspension-hook and the other arm lying in such position thatit is engaged by the receiver as said receiver is replaced upon thehook, so that the operation of replacing the receiver upon the hookserves to return the fork to locked and locking position.

In the modification shown in Figs. 5 and IIO r 6 a pivoted plate 26 isprovided with arms 27 and 28, which produce the fork within which theeye 25 of the receiver is received, said arms lying at the side of thesuspension-hook when the mechanism is in position with relation to atelephone and the arm 28 lying in the path of outward movementof thesaid eye, so that the receiver cannot be removed from the hook when thesaid plate 26 is locked in the position indicated. Arms 27 and 28 extendfrom one side of the pivotal point of the plate 26, and upon the otherside of said pivotal point the plate is provided with a projection 29,which lies in a recess 30 in the locking-arm 31 of a locking-lever 32,the fingers or projections and 34 upon the said locking-arm producingthe walls at the ends of the said recess. The said lockinglever is alsoprovided with a coin-receiving arm 35,which lies under the raceway. Whena coin is deposited, it falls upon the said coinreceiving arm, and thelocking-lever is rocked to bring the stop-finger 33 in engagement withone side of the projection 29, the movement of the locking-lever tobring the said stop finger or arm to this position being sufficient tocarry the locking-finger 34 out of the path of movement of theprojection 29,

but being insufficient to permit the coin to be discharged from thecoin-receiving arm 35. WVhen the parts are brought to this position, thereceiverlocking element is free to be moved, and as the receiver istaken from the hookthe eye 25 engages the arm 28, and the plate 26 istherefore rocked, this movement servingto carry the projection 29 out ofengagement with the stop-finger 33,whereby the locking-lever cancomplete its movement and rock sufficiently to discharge the coin fromthe coin-receiving arm. As the plate 26 is rocked, as just indicated,the arm 27 is advanced, the parts lying in the positions indicated bydotted lines in Fig. 6, and as the re ceiver is replaced upon the hookthe eye 25 engages the arm 27, and thus causes the plate 26 to be rockedinto normal locked position, all as will be fully understood.

It will be readily apparent that as the plate 26 is rocked in order topermit the receiver to be withdrawn from thehook the spring 26? isthrown past the line of centers, and thus yieldingly so holds the platethat the arm 27 is presented in its advanced or elevated position. Suchspring action is so well under-. stood by those familiar with mechanicsthat it is believed that further explanation of such action isunnecessary in this specification.

In order to prevent any possibility of slipping the eye 25 between thearm 28 and the .finger 24 of the suspension-hook, I bend the the path ofwithdrawal of the eye 25, and the receiver is therefore securely lookedupon the hook, although the hook is still left perfectly free tovibrate. I also preferably bend the end of the arm 27 backwardly, asshown at 38, so that when the parts are thrown into unlocking position,as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 6, the bent end 28 of the arm 27extends to the lowermost position of the suspension-hook, thus making itimpossible to replace the receiver upon said suspensionhook withoutengaging the said arm 27.

Preferably the rear face 39 of the casing is inclined or beveled, asshown in Fig. 2, and .this is secured to a correspondingly-inclinedbracket-arm 40, the bracket being fastened uponthe wall or other support5-in any suitable or convenient manner. In this manner any necessaryadjustment of the casing, both vertically and horizontally, can bereadily obtained. Preferably the said rear wall 39 of the casin g isprovided with outer flat portions 41 and intermediate depressions 42,and the bracket arm or portion 40 is a piece of strap .metal. Screws orother suitable securing members 43 are seated in the casing-wall 39 uponopposite sides of the said strap and in the flat portions 41 of thewall, and screws or other securing members 44 are also seated in thesaid wall, and'engage opposite sides of the strap, said screws 44 beingso positioned that their heads (or washers engaged thereby) bear uponthe strap over the depressions 42. The heads of all of the screws (orwashers engaged by said heads) bear upon the edges of the strap, and thecasing can therefore be adjusted along the strap as desired. The

portions of the strap across the depressions 42 are by the clampingaction of the screws bent to enter said depressions, and the casing istherefore firmly secured in position. In setting up the box or casingthe bracket and the box are placed together and moved with relation toeach other and to the wall until the box has been brought into thedesired relation to the receiver. The position of the bracket is thenmarked upon the wall and the position of the box is marked upon thebracket. The parts are then removed from the positions in which theyhave been temporarily held and the box and bracketfastened together,after which the bracket is fastened upon the wall or other support. Byreason of providing the flat surfaces 41 upon the outer sides of thedepressions 42 the box and bracket are forced to lie in the properrelationship to each other. Were these flat portions not provided, thestrap 40 would tend to curve by reason of having portions forced intothe depressions 42, and after the strap and box had been fastenedtogether the box would not bear the same relationship to the receiverwhich it had borne when the partswere adjusted prior'to being fastenedtogether. I am aware that many minor changesin-the ICO construction,arrangement, and combination of the several parts of my device can bemade and substituted for those herein shown and described without in theleast departing from the nature and principle of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with a telephone -receiver and its movablesuspension-hook, of a releasable locking element out of the path ofmovement of said hook for locking said receiver upon its said hook;substantially as described.

2. The combination with a movable telephone-receiver suspension-hook, ofa releasable loeking-arm obstructing the passage of the receiver fromsaid hook and movable into position to clear said passage, said arm whenin position to clear said passage lying out of the path of movement ofsaid hook, and means for locking said arm in obstruct-ing position;substantially as described.

3. The combination with a movable telephone-receiver suspension-hook, ofa releasable locking-arm below said hook and movable into and out ofposition to obstruct the passage of the receiver from said hook, andmeans for locking said arm in obstructing position; substantially asdescribed.

I. The combination with a supportingstructure, of a telephone-receiversuspension-hook movable with respect to said supporting structure, alocking-arm upon said supportin g structure and movable into and out ofposition to obstruct the passage of the receiver from said hook, andmeans for locking said arm in obstructing position, said arm lying outof the path of movement of said hook when out of obstructing position;substantially as described.

5. The combination with a telephone-receiver and its suspension-hook, ofa releasable locking element movable into and out of position toobstruct the passage of said receiver from its said hook, and meanswhereby said locking element is automatically locked in obstructingposition as said receiver is placed upon said hook; substantially asdescribed.

6. In a telephone-lock or the like, a supporting structure, a platemovably supported thereon,two arms upon said plate and. adapted toreceive the receiver between them, and means for locking said plate;substantially as described.

7. The combination with a telephone or the like and its receiversnspension-hook,of alock comprising a movable plate, arms thereonadapted to receive the receiver between them, one of said arms closingthe space in advance of the receiver when said receiver is upon the hookand the other of said arms, when the plate has been thrown by theremoval of the receiver, lying in the path of movement of the receiveras the latter is replaced upon the hook, and means for locking saidplate; substantially as described.

8. The combination with a telephone-receiver and its suspension-hook, ofarotatable plate provided with locking-arms adapted to obstruct thepassage from said hook, and means whereby said plate is free to rotatein one direction and is locked against movement in the other direction;substantially as described.

9. The combination with a telephone-receiver and its suspension-hook, ofa rotatable plate, locking-arms thereon adapted to 0bstruct the passagefrom said hook, and a locking member adapted to cooperate withany ofsaid arms; substantially as described.

10. The combination with a telephone-receiver and its suspension-hook,of a rotatable plate, locking-arms thereon adapted to obstruct thepassage from said hook, a locking member in the path of movement of saidarms and locking the plate against movement in one direction, and meanswhereby said plate is freely rotatable in the opposite direction;substantially described.

11. The combination with a telephone-receiver and its suspension-hook,of a rotatable plate, locking-arms thereon adapted to obstruct thepassage from said hook, and a movable locking member in the path ofmovement of said arms and locking said plate against movement in onedirection, one of said cooperating plate-locking elements having aninclined surface toward the other thereof to cause the said lockingmember to be thrown to permit free rotation of the plate in the oppositedirection; substantially as described.

12. In a telephone-lock or the like, a movable locking element providinga stop for the hereinafter-mentioned stop-arm and movable from lockin gand stop-arm-arresting position, and a locking-lever cooperating withsaid locking element, said locking-lever including anactuating-device-receiving arm, a lockingarm upon one side of saidlocking element and a stop-arm upon the other side of said element;substantially as described.

13. In a telephone-lock or the-like, a movable locked element, a lockingmember therefor, means adapted to momentarily act upon said lockingmember to throw the same into unlocking position, a movable supportingmember separate from said locked element and adapted to hold saidlocking member in such unlocking position, and means whereby said lockedelement in its movement serves to throw said supporting member fromsupporting position; substantially as described.

14. In a telephone-lock or the like, a locking member, means forthrowing the same into unlocking position, and a yielding supporting-armin the path of movement of said locking member from locking position forsupporting the same in unlocking position; substantially as described.

lIO

15. In a telephone-lock or the like, a movable locked element, a lockingmember therefor, means for throwing said locking member into unlockingposition, a yielding supportthrown from supporting position as said ele-Io ment is moved; substantially as described. In testimony whereof Ihereunto affix my signature, in the presence of two witnesses,

ing-arm in the path of movement of said this 29th day of August, 1902-.locking member for supporting the latter in unlocking position, and apart upon said supporting-arm in the path of movement of said lockedelement, whereby said arm is WILLIAM H. SCOTT. WVitnesscs:

GALES P. MOORE, GEORGE BAKEWELL.

